[Expanding on my thoughts begun here…]: Surrendering the consolations of the Eucharist, (and access to the sacraments, to the fellowship and to the senses-enlivening liturgy) because of the failings of mortal, passing men, this seems like a heavy burden to afflict upon oneself. Baggott seems to be doing the penance best done by those who need to do it. I wish and pray that she does not encourage her mother in this same outsized penance, as it seems so heavy... Read more
You will notice that as long as Mary stood gazing into the empty tomb and looked at the angels, Jesus stood behind her and concealed himself from her . . . our Lord God hides himself from those who are busied with creatures, absorbed and distressed about created things. The moment the soul turns away from them and goes in search of God, then God reveals himself. Whosoever longs for the sight of God must soar aloft like a star,... Read more
Exultet! Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen! (Listen to the Great Chant of Easter* as you read, if you like) Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing choirs of angels! Exult, all creation around God’s throne! Jesus Christ, our King is risen! Sound the trumpet of salvation! Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor, radiant in the brightness of your King! Christ has conquered! Glory fills you! Darkness vanishes for ever! Rejoice, O Mother Church! Exult in glory! The risen Savior shines upon... Read more
Reposted from 2007 by request of Reader Mark: Five Reasons Why I Love Jesus 5) He’s got a good sense of humor. In this I see I am joined by Julie at Happy Catholic, for pretty much the same reasons. I love the sort of loving, semitic and word-based humor on display in scripture. In Matthew, Chapter 14, Simon and Andrew – probably nagging at each other as they cast their nets into the sea – needed only one phrase... Read more
Rick over at Brutally Honest, who from time-to-time writes a bit about faith and where he is of a moment (he has been taking the “long route” to Rome!) has written poignantly about his first time attending a Good Friday Veneration of the Cross service. I confess now to you that initially, I was uneasy. This sort of thing is not looked kindly upon by some of my Protestant brethren, and I, at one time, had come to agree with... Read more
The question has come my way several times, in the past week: “how do you maintain your faith in light of news stories that bring light to the dark places that exist within your church?” When have darkness and light been anything but co-existent? How do we recognize either without the other? I remain within, and love, the Catholic church because it is a church that has lived and wrestled within the mystery of the shadow-lands ever since an innocent... Read more
Some interesting updates to the ongoing story of the NY Times and the Pope. Currents TV has a telephone interview with Fr. Thomas Brundage, the priest who adjudicated the Milwaukee case in question but was never contacted by the Times, and who wrote, among other things: “…the fact is that on the day that Father Murphy died, he was still the defendant in a church criminal trial. No one seems to be aware of this.” What people also do not... Read more
Stumbled upon this while looking for something else. Seemed like a good read to kick off the Easter Triduum. Hope you don’t mind the repost: WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER, OUTSIDE OF TIME I have been corresponding with a friend who is enduring the loss of a beloved family member – his grief is still very new. My grief for my brother S is a little older. It was just a bare week or so ago that I noted... Read more
Sometimes – frequently, in fact – one settles in to pray the Liturgy of the Hours and the hour (any one of them) strike simply the perfect chord with the day. Vespers was like that, tonight: Antiphon: Evil men said: Let us make the just man suffer; he sets himself against our way of life. Psalm 62 Perfection. You can always get an audio of the hours for each day here: Read more
The Anchoress
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In